Battle of Xiapi

The Battle of Xiapi occurred from 198 to 199 AD when the armies of Cao Cao and Liu Bei besieged Lu Bu at the fortress of Xiapi in Xu Province.

Background
In 193 AD, during the Battle of Xu Province, Lu Bu entered into Liu Bei's service due to their shared rivalry with Cao Cao. In 194 AD, after Xu Province governor Tao Qian died, he left control of the province to Liu Bei, who finally had a land to call his own. Meanwhile, the powerful warlord Cao Cao rescued Emperor Xian of Han from the remnants of Dong Zhuo's army and took control of the Imperial Court; Liu Bei, who was a staunch Han loyalist, carried out imperial edicts issued by Cao Cao and assisted him during his campaign against Yuan Shu in 197 AD.

Lu Bu took advantage of Liu Bei's absence to raise an army of his own, and he took advantage of Liu Bei's general Zhang Fei's drunkenness to rebel against him and take control of Xu Province. In October 198, Xiaopei fell to Lu Bu's forces, and Liu Bei was forced to leave his wives behind and flee. Once again landless, Liu Bei was forced to wander the land until Cao Cao offered his assistance; Cao Cao allowed for Liu Bei and his sworn brothers Zhang Fei and Guan Yu to enter his service, and they led an army to recapture Xu Province.

Battle
Cao Cao sent Cao Ren with 3,000 troops to take Xiaopei while he and Liu Bei attacked Lu Bu at Xiapi, and Cao Ren and Xu Chu defeated Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Yin Li, and Chang Xi's 30,000 Taishan bandits as they blocked their path. Cao Cao and Liu Bei's forces proceeded to surround Xuzhou, and Cao Ren took Xiaopei before Lu Bu could prepare an expedition to relieve it; Mi Zhu also took Xuzhou with the help of Chen Deng, who had betrayed Lu Bu. Lu Bu was forced to retreat to Xiapi, where he had stored his family members and his supplies; he had the protection of the Si River and had large stores of grain, and he also planned to ally with Yuan Shu against Cao Cao and Liu Bei. Cao Cao's strategist Cheng Yu decided that the army should be divided: Cao Cao and his army would besiege Xiapi as Liu Bei's army would be positioned to the south of the city to prevent Yuan Shu from intervening.

After Chen Gong fired an arrow at Cao Cao's helmet while Cao Cao spoke with Lu Bu from below the city walls, Cao Cao ordered the attack on Xiapi to begin. Chen Gong advised Lu Bu to lead an army out of the castle so that, if Lu Bu was attacked, his own forces from inside the city could attack the enemy rear; if the city was attacked, Lu Bu could come to its aid. However, Lu Bu's wife Lady Yan convinced him that Cao Cao had treated Chen Gong well before he defected to Lu Bu's faction, and that leaving his family under Chen Gong's care might put them at risk should he defect. Lu Bu ultimately decided against Chen Gong's plan, and he instead decided to send Xu Si and Wang Kai to Yuan Shu to arrange a marriage alliance between them. Zhang Liao and He Meng were sent with 1,000 troops to protect the messengers. When the messengers reached Shouchun, Yuan Shu was reluctant to aid Lu Bu, who had previously slain an envoy sent by Yuan Shu to arrange a marriage alliance; he decided that he would send troops once Lu Bu's daughter Lu Lingqi arrived in Shouchun. Zhang Fei ambushed the messengers as they returned, capturing He Meng and killing or dispersing 500 of his troops. He Meng was forced to reveal Lu Bu's marriage alliance plans to Cao Cao before he was executed. However, Xu Si and Wang Kai reached Lu Bu with the terms, and Lu Bu ordered Zhang Liao and Gao Shun to take 3,000 troops and escort the bride-elect to Yuan Shu. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei barred the way, and Lu Bu was forced to return to Xiapi, where he drank his sorrows away.

Two months later, Governor Zhang Yang of Henei decided to march to assist Lu Bu. He was assassinated by Yang Chou, who brought his head as an offering to Cao Cao, only for Yang Chou to be murdered by Kui Gu, who then led Zhang Yang's army to assist Lu Bu. Cao Cao sent Shi Huan to intercept and kill Kui Gu, and, at the same time, Cao Cao's strategist Guo Jia devised a plan to break the stalemate. Xun Yu correctly guessed that his plan was to launch a flood attack on the city, and the banks of the Rivers Yi and Si were cut, flooding the castle and demoralizing its defenders. Lu Bu then decided that he was done with drinking, and he ordered that any man who drank would be sentenced to death. He nearly put Hou Cheng to death after he celebrated his recovery of his stolen horses by drinking, but his colleagues Song Xian and Wei Xu interceded, leading to Hou Cheng's sentence being commuted to lashing. Hou Cheng, Song Xian, and Wei Xu deduced that Lu Bu cared only for his family and not for others, and, that night, Hou Cheng stole Lu Bu's horse Red Hare and brought him to Cao Cao. Before Lu Bu could punish Wei Xu the next day, a general assault on Xiapi began, and Song Xian and Wei Xu ambushed Lu Bu and bound him with cords to present him as a captive to Cao Cao. With Lu Bu captured, Xiapi surrendered as well, and the battle was over.

Aftermath
Cao Cao welcomed Song Xian, Wei Xu, and Hou Cheng into his army for their betrayal of Lu Bu. He had Gao Shun executed after he sulkily stayed his tongue when Cao Cao questioned him, and he reluctantly had Chen Gong executed; Cao Cao had him buried honorably and had his family taken care of in Xuchang, having owed his life to Chen Gong's role in saving him from Dong Zhuo in 190 AD. Cao Cao had Lu Bu strangled to death as punishment for his frequent betrayals, but he welcomed the brave warrior Zhang Liao into his army, having recognized him from the Battle of Puyang.